Stimulus and the Sheffield Song Book

Bernard LeePrior to involvement in the Come and Take Part workshops in Music in the Round’s May Festival next week, Sheffield Young Singers notch up a conspicuous ‘first’ this weekend.The highly successful choir has been invited to perform in the prestigious Voices Now festival at London’s Roundhouse on Saturday.Formed in 2007 by Helen Cowen and Tracey Shibli, Sheffield Young Singers is the only youth group among the 15 choirs taking part over the three-day event.Holding it together this year is the artistic direction of a couple of ‘inspirational curators’, BBC Folk Musician of the Year, Kathryn Tickell and Mercury Music nominee Sam Lee.Working with a diverse array of singers to develop unexpected and stimulating collaborations, crossing musical genres and sharing techniques, they are said to have achieved thrilling results.The 15 groups range from gospel choirs to folk ensembles and school groups to all-male collectives.Over the last four years, Voices Now has created one of the most exciting festivals for choirs in the UK with groups of all abilities and backgrounds coming together at the Roundhouse.Sheffield Young Singers will be performing alongside Sam Lee, Kathryn Tickell and six of the UK’s most exciting choirs to journey around the folk-routes, by-ways and high seas of England and Ireland.The young choir, age range 11-18, is offering a traditional folk ballad, Water of Tyne, as well as Seven Rivers from the Sheffield Song Book, written for it by Berlie Doherty and Richard Chew.For the record, North London’s 60 strong Boyband will help the audience discover their inner pirate and there are more sea-shanties and drinking yarns from The Magnificent AK47.The Holst Singers, Codetta, Rutland Choral Society and Green Street Blues sing songs from the British and Emerald Isles and the groups join together – literally, hundreds of voices – for a rousing finale!